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Waiters

Waiters serve food and beverages in hotels, restaurants, clubs and dining establishments.

Hospitality & tourismANZSCO 4315
$1,346/wkMedian full-time pay
129kPeople employed
+12% ▲Growth to 2035
17%Work full time
21Median age
Source: ABS · JSA, 2025-26ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) Labour Force via Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA), February 2026; ABS Employee Earnings and Hours May 2025; JSA Employment Projections, May 2025 base. ANZSCO 4315.More about our sources: How we check our facts

What they do

The main tasks of this occupation, from the national occupation standard.

setting and arranging tablesgreeting customers and presenting them with menus and beverage liststaking orders and relaying them to kitchen and bar staffserving food and beveragesopening bottles and pouring beveragesclearing tables and returning dishes and cutlery to kitchen
Source: JSA occupation profileTask list from the Jobs and Skills Australia occupation profile for ANZSCO 4315 (ANZSCO task statements).More about our sources: How we check our facts

The outlook

Room for 14,600 more people in waiters by 2035 ▲

The field shrank 0.1% in the year to February 2026, losing about 100 workers. Most of the jobs are in NSW and VIC, with QLD third.

Source: JSA · ABS, 2025-26ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) Labour Force via Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA), February 2026; ABS Employee Earnings and Hours May 2025; JSA Employment Projections, May 2025 base. ANZSCO 4315.More about our sources: How we check our facts
126.5k2025
133.1k2030 PROJ.
141.1k2035 PROJ.

Getting in

There is no single way in. 18% trained through VET, 17% hold a degree.

Both paths are common in this field. These are the nationally recognised courses mapped to this occupation, with the number of registered training providers that offer each one.

Source: JSA · training.gov.auEducation split: JSA (Jobs and Skills Australia) occupation profile, using ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) Census data, ANZSCO 4315. Qualification mapping and provider counts: training.gov.au, the national register of vocational education, October 2026. Listed providers are current registered training providers (private providers and TAFE institutes).More about our sources: How we check our facts

Nationally recognised training · most offered first

SIT30722Certificate III

Certificate III in Hospitality (Restaurant Front of House)

Tourism, Travel and Hospitality Training Package.

See 8 providers

Providers are shown in A-Z order on each course page. A listing is not a recommendation.

Jobs open right now

129k Australians do this work. See who is hiring this month.

Search job ads by state

Each link opens seek.com.au in a new tab, showing ads posted in the last month. SEEK is a job site; we link there because that is where most Australian jobs are advertised. We have no commercial relationship with SEEK.

Source: ABS · JSA, 2025-26State chart shows people employed, not current job ads. ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) Labour Force via Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA), February 2026; ABS Employee Earnings and Hours May 2025; JSA Employment Projections, May 2025 base. ANZSCO 4315.More about our sources: How we check our facts

People employed by state, 2025-26

NSW39.5k
VIC39.4k
QLD26.8k
WA10.7k
SA9.5k
TAS2.9k
ACT2.4k
NT0.7k

Occupations near this one

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